Board can’t consider voiding license of bar linked to Fox

By Matt Blanchette
mblanchette@abc6.com    

@mattblanchette

A last minute  maneuver by the Shark Bar in Providence enables that business on Thayer Street to keep its liquor license, for now.
lawyers for the shark bar went before a judge to ask that it be put into  receivership. the unexpected move came just hours before it was scheduled to go before the city’s board of licenses.
federal prosecutors say the owners of shark bar bribed former speaker of the house Gordon Fox with 50 thousand dollars to obtain a liquor license in 2008.
The board was set to meet to consider voiding those licenses at the city’s request, but that meeting turned out to be very short.
In fact, it lasted for just over a minute.
“(The court) issued a stay of any other proceeding, so we will not be going forward today,” Senior Assistant City Solicitor Stephan Ryan said.
The bar’s lawyers argued that without a liquor license it has no value.
The court appointed attorney Stephen Del Sesto as the bar’s receiver.
The original license was obtained after a 50 thousand dollar bribe to Gordon Fox, who was then a member of the board of licenses.
He pleaded guilty to receiving the bribe and awaits sentencing in june.
“To me it is a simple and straightforward thing. If they obtained the license through corruption and fraud they don’t deserve to have it. The city is going to take every step possible to void the license,” Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said.
What this receivership also means is that Shark Bar can remain open throughout this entire process which could last two weeks or more.
The providence city solicitor’s office is filing a petition of relief to reverse the court’s decision and allow the city to proceed in asking for the Shark Bar’s license to be voided.
“It’s important to send a strong strong message to let folks know that corruption and fraud are unacceptable,” Elorza said.
While in receivership Del Sesto will take control of all the bars financial records as well as day to day operations.

Fox has acknowledged receiving $52,500 in bribes in 2008 to help grant a liquor license to the bar when he served as vice chairman of the Providence board. Fox pleaded guilty to bribery, wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

One of the owners has said he didn’t know about the bribe. The owners haven’t been charged.